Where does “opera” come from?
Opera comes from Latin opera, the plural of opus, derived from Proto-Indo-European h₃ep-, a root of uncertain meaning that also produced the Proto-Italic -os masculine singular ending.
opera (English): A theatrical work, combining drama, music, song...
Definitions
- A theatrical work, combining drama, music, song...
Ancestry of “opera”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Italian | opera | work; means, help, services; opus |
| 2 | Latin | opera | work, exertion, effort; service; care, attention... |
| 3 | Latin | Opus | The capital city of the Locri and birthplace of Patroclus |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | Ὀποῦς | Opus, Greece |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | ὀπός | juice, vegetable/plant juice; fig-juice |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | sokʷós | juice of plants |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | sekʷ- | to follow; to see; to say |